Film Pick of the Week: Love in the Villa - review by Yvette Huddleston

We meet American primary school teacher Julie (Kat Graham), a hopeless romantic, who is preparing for a trip of a lifetime to Italy with her long-term boyfriend Brandon (Raymond Ablack). She has planned their getaway down to the tiniest detail but that is all derailed somewhat when over dinner shortly before they are due to leave for Europe, Brandon announces that he wants ‘a break’ from their relationship. Julie is upset but decides to go on the holiday solo instead.

The property itself is (unsubtly) named La Villa Romantica and is located in the place where Romeo and Juliet met. The local tourism industry certainly benefits from the tragic story of the star-crossed lovers, with hundreds of tourists lining up to take selfies under the ‘Juliet balcony’. After a stressful journey and her luggage having gone astray, Julie arrives at her holiday home only to find that it has been double-booked. Already in residence is British wine executive Charlie (Tom Hopper), easy on the eye but not terribly friendly and unwilling to vacate the villa.

There then follows a whole series of chalk and cheese interchanges – she is romantic, he is not, she is open about her feelings, he is not (he is British!) – which then turns into a more nasty War of the Roses-style battle for the villa. Needless to say they soon settle their differences, agree to be friends and then, guess what, they start to appreciate each other. And perhaps romance could be in the air… Jeopardy comes along right on cue to upset the course of true love, but there is never any doubt where this will all eventually lead to. Unlike Shakespeare’s version, a happy ending is very much on the cards.

Cliches abound as Julie encounters a number of Italians straight out of central casting including the taxi driver who screeches around the narrow streets dangerously, and the villa owner who explains that the double booking came about because both his wife and his mistress had taken reservations for that week. It passes the time easily enough and has its moments of charm – but it doesn’t measure up against the many other romcoms it has clearly been inspired or influenced by (see if you can spot the references).